CHAPTER 9 MITOCHONDRIA
Calcium ions in cytosol
Anaerobes: First organisms that captured and utilized
energy by means of oxygen‐ independent or
anaerobic metabolism, such as glycolysis and
fermentation
Cyanobacteria: New kind of organism that carried out
a new type of photosynthetic process, water
molecules split and molecular oxygen was released
● Without ability to use oxygen, organisms
extract only a limited amount of energy from
their foodstuffs, excreting energy‐ rich
products such as lactic acid and ethanol
(unable to metabolize further)
● Organisms that used O2 in their metabolism
could completely oxidize such compounds to
CO2 and H2O which require a much larger
percentage of their energy content
Aerobes: Organisms that gave rise to all of the
oxygen‐ dependent prokaryotes and eukaryotes
Mitochondrion: Organelle in eukaryotes where
utilization of oxygen as a means of energy extraction
takes place
● Evolved from ancient aerobic bacterium
● Occupy 15-20% of mammalian liver
● Best known in generating ATP
● Visible in light microscope
● Structure:
- Individual, bean shaped
- Highly branched, interconnected
tubular network
● Can undergo fission and fusion
- Mitochondrial fission is induced by
contact with thin tubules from ER:
ER tubules initiate constriction
through action of soluble proteins in
the outer surface of mitochondrion
from the cytosol
- If fusion is more frequent: more
elongated and interconnected
- If fission is more frequent: more
numerous and distinct
● In sperm cells, it is located in midpiece
behind nucleus. The movement of sperm is
powered by ATP
● In plant cells:
- Primary suppliers of ATP in non-
photosynthetic tissues
- Source of ATP in photosynthetic
leaf cells during dark periods
● Other functions:
- Sites of synthesis of amino acids
- Engaged in uptake and release of
- Cell death
Mitochondrial Membranes
● Outer mitochondrial membrane
- Completely enclose mitochondrion
- Homologous to cell wall of some
bacteria, both contain porins
- Porins of mito are not static;
permeable to ATP, NAD, coenzyme
A)
● Inner mitochondrial membrane
- Inner boundary membrane
(proteins, import of products)
- Cristae: Series of invaginated
membranous sheets that house
machinery for ATP formation and
aerobic respiration
- Rich in cardiolipin (like bacterial
membrane), which facilitates
electron transport and ATP
synthesis
- Highly impermeable; requires
membrane transportes
● Cristae junctions: Joins the 2 inner
membranes
● MitOS (MICOS or MINOS): Inner membrane
associated protein complex required for
cristae organization
● Matrix: Gel-like located interior
● Intermembrane space: Between inner and
outer membrane
Mitochondrial Matrix
● Contains ribosomes and DNA (circular in
higher plants and animals)
● Contains own DNA and machinery to
manufacture its own RNAs and proteins
● Nonchromosomal DNA: Encodes small
number of mitochondrial polypeptides
integrated into inner mitochondrial
membrane
● Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA): Legacy from a
single aerobic bacterium
● Mitochondrial RNA polymerases is not
related to multisubunit enzyme in prokaryotic
and eukaryotic cells but to some bacterial
viruses (bacteriophages) from which it
appears to have evolved
AEROBIC METABOLISM IN MITOCHONDRION
Glycolysis
● Free energy in glucose was used
● 2 ATP: 1 molecule of glucose oxidized
● Products: Pyruvate and NADH
 1. Pyruvate
- Transported across inner
mitochondrial membrane and matrix
- Will become decarboxylated to
form 2-carbon acetyl group
- Acetyl group transferred to
coenzyme A
Pyruvate + HS - CoA NAD+

● Glucose is phosphorylated to form fructose

phosphate (1 ATP) then phosphorylated
again (1 ATP) = 6-carbon biphosphate
● 6-carbon biphosphate is split into 2 3-carbon
monophosphates